Aston On Clun. A forgotten Great Western outpost.

[Rowsley17D]

I put a few drops of matting agent in all my supposed matt paints which are usually Tamiya or Railmatch.

[DLT]

Great project!

Dave.

[MrWolf]

Things have been a little hectic round here, so work on the layout has been erratic at best.

 

However, we have had a delivery of mysterious crates and some barrels of Gargoyle Mobiloil and Price's Motorine for the garage. 

With those unloaded, we've been able to get the roof on, unpainted as yet and awaiting downpipes. I will use Ratio ones because the supplied Wills version are only half round with no wall brackets!

 

 

 

I really need to get on with the permanent way, but the buildings are far too tempting! 

I have made some preliminary sketches for the garage (not as big as it looks because I have added too many windows.) I am going to build it on its own board to make life easier.

 

 

 

The private garage I started earlier is coming together, needs more details and weathering.

 

 

 

 

 

I have cheated a little with the roof, I am probably not the first to realise it either, but I am sharing it in case anyone else finds it useful.

On this occasion, I haven't used Wills' sheet for the roof, nor have I used Slater's sheet cut up. It's Wills' corrugated glazing (corrugated iron type) which when painted is spot on, no filing the edges down or overlapping tiny (but still too thick) sheets either.

The only thing that I have ever seen that looks better is the corrugated foil sheet on @KNP 's Little Muddle goods shed. I have a suspicion that he made that himself.

Edited August 16, 2022 by MrWolf
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[NHY 581]

Those buildings look splendid, Rob. Jolly clever stuff. 

 

Thanks for the tip re the roof by the way. I'm looking for some corrugated sheeting to possibly block in  the missing window on Lambtons engine shed and this would appear to be ideal. 

 

Rob. 

[MrWolf]

Preliminary profanity for the village garage.

The real thing is actually further into the village centre, but I wanted to squeeze it in between the railway and the grounds of Aston Hall.

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by MrWolf
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[MrWolf]

For reasons lost in the mists of time, I have always been fascinated by old petrol stations, especially the rural, ramshackle tin shed variety.

 

(Apparently, some weirdos like a game called football instead....)

 

Every layout I have had has had a model of one and I have built a few that didn't have a layout too.

 

 

 

This kind of thing. Station Garage, Caton, Lancs. Naturally, it's been modernised and the station is long gone.

This shot was taken sometime in the fifties, so has Wayne electric pumps and period signage, but the buildings date back prewar

 

The look that I need is more like this:

 

 

 

More like it, hand cranked pumps and oil dispenser cabinets which contained 5 gallon cans dispensing different grades of oil. The middle pump is owned by Redline, who along with R.O.P. sold discount petrol from the Russian oil fields. Naturally, these brands vanished during WWII.

 

If you're modelling a prewar garage, or a rural one up into the 60s, hand cranked pumps are a must. The only thing that I know of that is really accurate and still available is from Scale Link set SLC 127, 1920-30 garage accessories. It doesn't help that it isn't listed anywhere as "petrol pumps" but they are very clean metal castings.

The pair of plastic pumps that come with the Wills' station garage kit can be detailed to look right.

 

 

 

Some of the bits and pieces are shown here. The pump on the far left is an old W&T Rowland PY3 vintage petrol pump. As far as I know, these are no longer available, which is a shame because what is on offer nowadays is basically rubbish. The old Dinky toys ones that I had as a kid were better made and detailed.

 

 

 

The W&T pump with a quick coat of red paint. It's a "visible system" model, the cylindrical section in white primer was actually a glass chamber that showed that you were getting the amount of petrol you paid for. On the right is the empty case of a Shell type pump.

 

 

 

The Scale Link Shell pump, Bowser pump and another visible pump used by Pratt's (Esso after 1934) These all have seperate hoses, nozzles and pump parts which I am painting before fitting, because it will look more abstract than usual otherwise.

 

 

 

Remaining bits are an oil pump cabinet, the innards from the Shell pump, a Dunlop tyre pump and an Epco ratchet jack. 

 

ISTR that Scale Link also did a set of very good 1930s-50s electric obelisk type pumps.

I will also be adding plenty of appropriate enamel signs, some of which are the old (still available) Tiny Signs. Bought in the 80s for about 60p each. To put that into perspective though, 60p would buy you ten cigarettes or half a gallon of petrol!

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by MrWolf
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[Rowsley17D]

Fascinating photo of Caton garage. It's just a few miles from where I live on the way to Lancaster. I thought the house gable end with its arched window seemed familiar. There's a recently modernised filling station at Caton now still doing the job of its predecessor. 

[M.I.B]

Great buildings - very inspiring.

[MrWolf]

Caton is an interesting survivor. Old country garages and many of the early ones in towns closed when the regulations changed, banning petrol pumps on the edge of the pavement.  Add to that the supermarkets selling fuel for less money than the independents can buy it and the big fuel companies refusing to deliver less than 5000 gallons a week and you have more closures.

 

 

 

Caton c1939 unusual that the c1930 electric pumps flank the gate. 

 

 

 

Frettingham c1930.

 

I could bore myself to death with photos of old garages, never mind the rest of you, so I had better get on with it!

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by MrWolf

[Mikkel]

On 10/03/2021 at 03:22, MrWolf said:

 

Fantastic. No architect on the planet could have come up with that. I like the sign, assertive yet modest.

 

I understand your fascination. Any vehicles planned?

 

[MrWolf]

As it's the only non railway building I have room for and architecturally not exactly grand, I will be attempting to put in as much detail as possible.

 

As for vehicles, there will only be a few on the layout (despite the fact that there were something like 75,000 cars on British roads by 1930.) Which is just as well because there's not a lot of choice. 

Whilst Oxford do some very nice RTP cars, there isn't much of it pre 1938. AFAIK you have the 1932 version of the Austin Seven and the 1928 Austin taxi. 

Understandably, most of the cars are models which were also produced up until 1947/8 as a stop gap. As expected there's a fair few luxury cars produced for the collector market. Very few of what Noel Cowerd referred to as "The curse of the little black car." 

There used to be some very good kits for everyday cars from 1925-50, (and some very bad ones!) but they don't turn up very often and judging by the prices commanded on eBay, are destined to sit unbuilt in a drawer for another four decades.

 

I have got a couple of Vauxhall 10HP saloons from the old Classix range, partly because I owned a real one and because they were launched September 1937 for the 1938 model year.

I also picked up an Oxford Austin Seven and a Standard Flying 12 (1937) plus a Morris Eight series E (1939) it's a pity that they don't do the series II that preceded it, many lasted in regular use into the 1960s.

[teaky]

Several kits here for pre-1938.

 

http://www.autocraft.plus.com/page33.html

 

A doddle to build with some gel cyano or rapid epoxy.

[MrWolf]

Thank you @teaky there's more than enough to be going at there. I think that was one of the ranges I remember from way back, Scale Link being another.

[Hesperus]

Looks like it's going to be a beautiful layout, I'll have to send a through train from my Teme Valley Railway (which has a station building based on the bowling club at Clun).

 

I still live fairly close if you need a picture of anything,  work even took me into The Hall at Aston on Clun once.

[MrWolf]

Thank you, that's very generous. I am planning a trip down that way once we're allowed out to play again, but that might be a while yet! 

I remember the building next to the bowling green that looks like a light railway station building! 

Through traffic is more than welcome, bit of a zigzag over the river to the oil depot loop and back over the river to the bottom of  Bridge Street.

We can't take dumb buffered stock though, once we get to the other end, we find that the Great Western don't want it and the LMS won't have it. Despite having become a part of the big four, we occasionally forget our delusions of grandeur and it all gets a bit Will Hay...

 

Which is a long winded way of saying that you are most welcome to post some pictures of the Teme Valley Railway on here, I'm sure that there's plenty who will find it interesting besides me.

 

There's been an awful lot of change at the old hall but at least it's still standing. I wouldn't mind having a look round the place.

 

[Hesperus]

Thanks Mr Wolf, it's a bit of a stalled project really and I can't decide whether it joins the Central Wales line at Hopton Heath or Bucknell but it runs through Leintwardine and Wigmore to the quarry at Leinthall Earls.  I don't have any dumb buffered wagons yet but it's only a matter of time until something's dragged out the weeds.

 

 

 

https://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/64880-leintwardine-teme-valley-light-railway/

 

 

Really should drag it out and finish it off, in fact I will drag it out tonight.  Thanks for the mojo boost

[MrWolf]

Drag it out and do one small thing ( taking a photo or two). I am having a similar.situation here at present, it's a bit like walking across a newly ploughed field in a rainstorm. But there is progress!

[MrWolf]

Talking of small progress, I have managed to get the collection of petrol pumps painted and put together at least.

I have discovered that the W&T models pump (red one on the left) is still available via the Scale Link models website in a pack of two.

 

 

 

I ignored the kit instructions to paint the tyre pump red, having had a real one, it should be yellow. Considering how old these castings are, they are very clean and accurate. The fuel hoses I need to tone down a bit, but prewar they were canvas braided, rather than plain rubber.

 

 

 

Lousy phone camera picture, but you get the Idea!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by MrWolf
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[Mikkel]

"Take me to your leader".

 

No, very nice. I like the effect of the hoses, they "fall" quite naturally. Neat paintjob too. Funny how a few small castings can tell the story of a whole age.

[MrWolf]

 

 

On 19/03/2021 at 04:41, Mikkel said:

"Take me to your leader".

 

 

"KLAATU BURAADA NIKTU"...

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by MrWolf
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[MrWolf]

Up bright and early!

 

Well, early anyway....

 

The garage has begun to take shape. A lot of it is from memory and I thought it was too big at first until I put it alongside the crossing keepers house, which is a small building and it dwarfs the garage.

I have also changed the shade of green for the walls, I wasn't happy with the sap green, Humbrol number 88 lis much more of a "shed green".

 

I will be fitting some internal walls to the office, probably a counter and a few other bits before attaching the roof. I have previously put in line shafts and a lathe etc, but they're impossible to see!

 

If money time and space were no object, the whole layout would be gauge one and there'd be a Trico windscreen wipers display stand on the counter....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by MrWolf
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[MrWolf]

Only minor bodging today, The goods shed now has downpipes. I'm not entirely convinced with what I have done, but I turned the pipes upside down so that the cranked part (the eaves don't overhang enough to need it) tucks into the overhang of the platform, to make it less vulnerable to damage.

 

 

 

I can't decide if it looks odd, it may look different when painted.

 

 

On the garage front, I have had these arrive in the morning post. 

 

 

 

They're another model that must date back forty years that is still available new. 

 

 

 

Although sold as being "circa 1950s" the styles date from the 30s those on the left and middle being from the beginning of the decade and the two on the right towards the end.. 

Some would have survived in use into the 1970s, right up to the end of buying fuel by the gallon.

Edited August 16, 2022 by MrWolf
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[MrWolf]

As I am variously waiting for paint to dry, bits to arrive and most importantly, avoiding fitting / wiring point motors, I have been finishing a few things off. 

 

I now have the goods shed bargeboards, gutters and downspouts painted dark stone, a coat of primer on the GEM petrol pumps (That will make sense later!) and I got on with the shed / firewood store for the garden of the crossing keepers house.

 

Image M.I.A.

 

 

What I had knocking about was the old (1981!) shed from the Springside garden workshop scene, I have all the other bits and it's only the figure that is showing its age, the proportions are a mile out, but there's some really good detail parts that makes it well worth the money. 

As usual, I couldn't build it straight out of the box, so I modified it with a few bits of plastic. An end from a Wills' station building, a random window and one of the Tiny Signs enamels.

I boarded one side up, but a couple of the boards have dropped off. One pane of glass has dropped out and another is cracked. The rotten woodwork at the bottom has been patched up with a WW1 recruitment sign (good riddance some might say) held in place with a stake knocked into the ground.

 

 

 

Add a coat of dark grey paint and hopefully from there I can do justice to the weathering it is going to need!

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by MrWolf
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[wiggoforgold]

Random huts are fun aren't they? Love what you've done here.

Alex

[MrWolf]

The inspiration for the next bit of bodgery is these two items that appear in one of the old garage photos.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited August 16, 2022 by MrWolf